Friends Forever: Atobe and Jirou
by xSadistxFujix
Summary: The time has come for Atobe to pass on the reigns of the tennis club as well as to graduate middle school. But next year Atobe won’t be coming back. Atobe/Jirou, not a sad fic


_So, originally this was going to be for __**Hyoutei **__in general and not Atobe/Jirou but my dear friend Keira gave me a sequel idea—which I'm still writing and it'll be a very long one-shot—that takes place while Atobe is in boarding school (you'll find out—there is AtoJi of course), so I'm probably going to write a separate one for Dirty and maybe Silver. I also want to write one for __**Rikkai **__and maybe __**Seigaku **__but those will just be general with pairings thrown in. Oh yeah, this is a graduation fic, and I recommend listening to the song which this was inspired by—__**Graduation-Friends Forever **__by __**Vitamin C**_

**Disclaimer: I own neither PoT nor the song**

**-**

**~Friends Forever: Atobe and Jirou~**

* * *

_I keep thinking times will never change  
Keep on thinking things will always be the same  
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back  
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track  
And if you got something that you need to say  
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day  
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down  
These memories are playing like a film without sound  
And I keep thinking of that night in June  
I didn't know much of love  
But it came too soon_

_-_

Atobe took in a breath and watched closely as the rest of the tennis club finished up their laps. He watched as Mukahi tripped, breathing heavily and as Oshitari caught him, holding him up as they began their last laps. Shishido and Ootori were running step in step as always, almost perfectly synchronized. Hiyoshi was running ahead of everyone else and he raised an eyebrow at seeing Taki trying to catch up to him. Kabaji stood just behind him and Atobe glanced over to his left, up on the hill to see Jirou laying there, asleep under a large Sakura tree.

He smiled slightly and then looked away again as Hiyoshi finished his laps, Taki following shortly after him only to collapse onto a bench, panting heavily. Without stopping, Hiyoshi headed for his bag, taking out his water bottle, Taki rolling from the bench and quickly following him.

Shishido and Ootori were next to finish their laps, breathing a bit heavier but otherwise perfectly fine as the smiled at each other and commenced in conversation. Oshitari and Mukahi were the last of the regulars + Taki to finish their laps, with an almost dead tired Mukahi clutching onto Oshitari's arm, sweat rolling down his face as he coughed slightly from the running.

Turning away from them, Atobe ordered, "Kabaji," and automatically knowing what he wanted, Kabaji answered, "Usu," before walking up the small hill and swinging a still asleep Jirou over his shoulder, grabbing the blonde's bag as he walked back over to the regulars and carefully set him on the bench behind their buchou.

Atobe waited another moment as the rest of the pre-regulars and the others on the tennis club slowly finished their laps before calling, "Minna, gather around ore-sama," at once, the exhausted teens slowly made their way over to wear the regulars + Taki were already gathered. "There are only a few more weeks until ore-sama graduates along with the rest of the third years." Said third years glanced around, frowning a little, especially the regulars. "As such, it is time for ore-sama to pass on the reigns of the Hyoutei Gakuen Tennis Club to another." He noticed Hiyoshi glance up in slight shock and understood why. While Hiyoshi knew he would be made captain, he hadn't known he would be announcing and passing it over to him that day, something which Atobe had decided he would do awhile ago.

"Hiyoshi," he continued, looking at the second year. "You are now buchou of the tennis club, do a good job or ore-sama might regret not making Ootori the buchou," he gave an elegant toss of his hair as Ootori flushed causing Shishido to give him a small glare. "Hiyoshi, would you like to finish?"

"Er, right, get back to practice!" everyone glanced at him before following orders and doing what Atobe had already told them was the schedule for the day.

"And your vice captain? You get to choose," Atobe told him to Hiyoshi's questioning look. "Ootori," Hiyoshi stated after a short pause and the tall second year flushed again. "M-me?"

Shishido smiled a little and placed a hand on his arm, looking up at him, "You'll be great Choutarou!"

This only caused Ootori to turn even redder as he looked down and said, "Arigatou, Shishido-san!" After that, Atobe let Hiyoshi dismiss them but Atobe stood there for a moment, feeling oddly empty now that he was no longer buchou of the Hyoutei tennis club. Of course he was still student council president, and would be until he graduated, but it wasn't the same.

"Kabaji," he stated and Kabaji gave the normal response before leaving, going to join the others in practice.

"Ne, Atobe," the silver-haired teen turned to see a softly smiling Jirou and he couldn't help how he relaxed at seeing the older boy's lips turned up slightly and how his brown eyes sparkled at him, cheeks' natural rosiness a bit brighter than normal. His golden hair blew softly around his face in the cool breeze and Atobe slowly walked over to the bench, sitting down next to his singles 2 player, or rather, his former singles 2 player as he wasn't buchou anymore.

"Feeling weird?" Jirou asked and Atobe blinked at him.

"Ahn? What do you mean by 'weird', Jirou?"

"You know," the blonde continued, swaying a little in his seat. "Different, not normal, I would think you would know what the definition is, Atobe-kun." Jirou teased lightly, smile widening as he softly poked Atobe's cheek.

Atobe fought off a smile of his own as he rolled his eyes. "Ore-sama knows what the definition of 'weird' is, Jirou. But what do you mean by asking if ore-sama feels weird?" he asked again and the blonde merely gave another smile as he laid his head down in Atobe's lap, ignoring the jealous groans from the fangirls near the entrance to the courts.

Jirou blocked his eyes from the sun as he looked up at Atobe and answered, "I mean about Hiyoshi being captain now and us graduating." He sighed. "We're going to be in high school, most of us are moving on to Hyoutei again, but I think Oshitari is moving back to Osaka. Gakuto called me crying the other day but I couldn't get much out of him because his sobbing was overpowering him. I feel bad for him," Jirou frowned at that before sighing and shaking his head. "At least the rest of us will all be together, ne?" he grinned.

Atobe glanced down before looking away. "Ore-sama will be studying in the states for a year."

"Eh?!" Jirou sat up quickly and he lost his balance, falling off of the edge of the bench, head first and Atobe shot forward, grabbing his arms just as quickly as Jirou had sat up and Atobe thanked himself for his reflexes.

"Jirou, are you okay?" he asked in worry as he pulled the blonde up but Jirou only stared up at him instead, blinking a bit. "Eh? Atobe-kun is leaving too?" Jirou bit his lip and Atobe felt him trembling slightly. The heir frowned in confusion. "I…" the brown-eyed boy looked away, gently tugging away from Atobe's arms. "I have something to do, I'll… talk to you later, Atobe-kun."

Atobe's eyebrows knitted together as he watched Jirou quickly run away from him and out of the tennis courts, shoulders shaking slightly. He knew that Jirou might've been a bit sad that he was leaving—they were friends and teammates after all—but was he really that upset over it?

"Oi! What'd you say to Jirou?" a demanding voice asked and Atobe turned to see Mukahi and Oshitari standing there, Mukahi's hands on his hips and a glare on his face as he got ready in case he needed to defend his friend.

"Ore-sama merely told him ore-sama would be attending school in the states for a year and he ran away. Ore-sama does not understand what ore-sama said wrong." Atobe answered, standing up and staring at Mukahi.

Mukahi blinked. "Huh? You're leaving too?" he groaned. "No wonder Jirou ran away, you upset him!"

Atobe continued to stare. "How did ore-sama upset him, perhaps?"

Oshitari raised an eyebrow, racket resting on his shoulder. "I would think it would be rather obvious, Atobe.

His eyebrows arched further. "_What _is obvious, Oshitari?" there was something that they knew about Jirou that he didn't, and Atobe didn't like how that made him feel, which was something he couldn't really pinpoint.

"I just don't get Jirou, Yuushi. I really don't." Gakuto interrupted, shaking his head, leaning against his doubles partner.

Oshitari chuckled. "Maybe you should ask him, Atobe. Before you don't have the chance to." The chance to? What was so important that Atobe needed to confront Jirou about?

-

Jirou swung his feet, a small, sad, pouty frown on his face as he sat back on the bench in the park, staring up at the blue sky and trees around him. He didn't know why he had reacted like that. Well, that wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't exactly a lie either.

When Atobe told him he wouldn't be going to Hyoutei for the first year of high school, he had just felt as if he was being abandoned, as if he wasn't wanted. He hated the feeling, despite knowing that wasn't what it was at all. It probably was nothing to do with him, but a part of him couldn't help feeling like that.

He knew he liked Atobe more than a friend, he always had, since the first time they met, which was actually when they were little, just before Atobe had moved to England for a few years. He had never told Atobe that he was the little blonde boy that he had tripped over, and maybe Atobe remember and had just never brought it up as well. But he didn't think so, it was probably more likely that Atobe hadn't recognized him, after all, they had only seen each other for a few minutes and then not once until first year of middle school.

He smiled at the memory. Everything was so sugoi and not at all like he had expected! Jirou had been told that Hyoutei was the best of the best but what he had found was even _better _than the best of the best and it was all because of him—Atobe Keigo, his buchou and friend.

But it was only for a year, so Atobe had said, and at least there was the small comfort that this _wouldn't _be the last time they would see each other, but it didn't help much. He had gotten so used to Atobe always being there, always finding him when he fell asleep in bad spots, when he accidently got hurt from falling down during one of his volleys (which had—thankfully—not happened again), and to help him study in his not-so-good subjects, and just for being there. Jirou would miss not being able to nap on the younger teen's lap during practices or boring games that their teammates played against each other and other schools. And he wouldn't have anyone to yell, "Ne, Atobe! This is so _sugoi_! Come look!" and actually have them look despite rolling their eyes and shaking their head at his ridiculousness.

He would mostly just miss Atobe, though. Just Atobe. Everything about him. They way he looked at him with that exasperated look when he gaped and fanboyed over the most ridiculous things, and the way Atobe wouldn't judge him for it but would instead encourage him slightly but just watching and nodding to him, answering with short sentences and statements.

But maybe he could deal with it. It was only a year after all, and then Atobe would be back, and everything would go back to normal—well, almost, Oshitari would still be in Osaka and wouldn't be playing doubles with Gakuto but, besides that… they would be the same, except they would all be another year older and in second year of high school.

Jirou frowned. He didn't want Atobe to leave him…

"Hey! Akutagawa from Hyoutei, ne?" The blonde looked up at the familiar voice and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Marui Bunta of Rikkai, chewing on his ever-present, green apple gum.

"M-Marui-kun!" Jirou sat up a bit straighter, feet barely grazing the grass. "What're you doing here? It's not near Rikkai, right?"

Marui shrugged, blowing a bubble as he sat down on the bench next to the blonde. "Needed to take a walk, clear my head." The pink haired boy stated, popping said bubble and chewing on it some more. "Pocky?" he held out a box of strawberry pocky and Jirou smiled, taking one and placing it into his mouth.

"About graduation?"

The Rikkai student gave him a slightly surprised look. "You're perceptive,"

Jirou beamed. "Something not many people know abou—ooh, doggy, hello doggy," he stated, picking up the small, brown animal and placing it on his lap. "Are you lost?" he asked and the dog just stared up with him with wide, watery eyes. "Poor puppy,"

"So, what're you doing here?"

"Hm?" Jirou asked, looking away from the dog and over at Marui, a little confused. "What am I doing here why?"

He blew another bubble. "Don't you usually have practice at this time? I'd think you'd be there instead of here. With those teammates of yours," which Marui inwardly found very creepy.

"Oh," Jirou rubbed at the back of his neck and looked back down at the puppy in his lap. "Needed to think about something, and what about you?" he looked back up. "Don't you also have practice at this time? I thought Rikkai didn't have days off."

"Yukimura-buchou needed the whole time to speak with that Kirihara, along with Sanada-fukubuchou. I think that guy is having doubts about becoming captain. Don't blame him, he's not the most well-liked player on our team." Marui answered, crossing his legs. "But Bakaya is a good kid, once you get past the whole violent tendencies thing." He laughed, unwrapping another piece of gum and sticking it into his mouth.

"So," he continued. "Mind me asking what you're thinking about? You know what _I'm _thinking about."

Jirou rubbed softly at the puppy's fur. "Atobe-kun is leaving,"

"Eh?"

"He's going to be studying in the states for a year," Jirou frowned. "And he just told me… I don't want Atobe-kun to leave, I'll miss him and he won't be back until second year. That's too long and too far away!"

"It's only a year,"

"Too long and too far away!" Jirou pouted angrily and Marui blinked, leaning forward a little. "Ne, do you like Atobe?" the blonde only stared blankly at him. "Well, do you?"

Slowly, Jirou's face turned red and he glanced away, up into the trees. "Anou… saa…" he shrugged, face now a very dark red color as if he had been sleeping under the hot sun for far too long and had gotten sun-burned.

Marui grinned and sat back. "Heh, you do, not that I'm going to judge you or anything, we all know that Sanada has the hots for Yukimura and buchou definitely isn't against him either, I'd say the complete opposite. And Niou and Yagyuu are definitely more than friends, as far as Yanagi's data goes, but we can all see it." He grimaced. "Unfortunately,"

Jirou gave a small laugh. "It just seems as if our team is breaking up. Oshitari is moving back to Osaka, and Atobe is going to the states, three of us are still going to be in middle school, and then the rest of us are moving onto Hyoutei—me, Gakuto, and Shishido."

Marui looked at him. "Be thankful you're not Seigaku then. That Echizen is going to be in New York, Tezuka is going to Germany, and I'm not sure, but I heard one-half of the Golden Pair is not going to be going to Seigaku. They don't know if or when Tezuka will be coming back, Echizen—it's the same with him, and that—Oishi, I think?—won't be coming back period. Two of their players are in middle school and isn't one of them quitting tennis? That leaves three of their team left and while it's the same as yours, sorta, I personally think Hyoutei has it better than Seigaku. Besides the people that were on that team, the rest wouldn't have stood a _chance _even against _Fudomine_."

"I think we lost to Fudomine, actually," Jirou stated, scratching his head. "I think that was when Shishido lost and I retook my spot on the team, I had gotten injured and wasn't on it for a bit."

"Ah," Marui glanced at the watch on his left wrist and stood, stretching. "I'll see you later, Akutagawa-kun. I've gotta get back, Bakaya probably needs babysitting at the moment and Jackal is busy. Ja," he gave a small salute-wave and walked away before Jirou could say anything. The blonde sighed, feeling lonely again.

-

Atobe had decided to walk and look for Jirou instead of going straight home and told his driver that he would call if he needed a ride. But he really wanted to find Jirou so that they could talk about whatever was bugging him and made him run away when he revealed that he wouldn't be going to Hyoutei until second year of high school.

He hadn't liked the way that Jirou had been trembling as he held onto him to keep him from falling again. To know that _he _had said something that caused him to feel like that… well, suffice it to say that he didn't like it one bit.

Turning into a park, he looked around and saw nobody and was about to walk on when he heard a pink haired boy yell, "Hey! Akutagawa from Hyoutei, ne?" Atobe looked over with narrowed eyes as Marui Bunta of Rikkai sat down next to Jirou on a bench and begin talking to him. What did that person want with Jirou and why was Jirou smiling a little at him? Yes, of course he knew that his teammate had modeled his play style after Marui Bunta and thought he was absolutely "sugoi", but did Jirou really need to smile like that him?

Atobe shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Jirou was free to smile at whomever he wished to smile at and of course he didn't have a say in that, but why did that angry feeling flare up inside of him when he saw the older, Rikkai player sit down next to _his _Jirou?

At that thought, Atobe felt a little shocked. Since when had Jirou been _his_? Jirou was a human and the only way humans could own other humans was to own them as a slave and Atobe definitely did _not _own Jirou as any type of slave.

He was about to walk over when he saw Marui stand and wave before walking away, blowing on his green gum, hands in his pockets leisurely. After a few more minutes of standing there and figuring that Jirou wasn't going to be leaving any time soon as he stared down at the puppy in his lap, slowly petting it, Atobe began heading towards him, standing just behind his shoulder, watching him.

As he stared at him, the only thought that entered his mind was, _is he always this cute_?—which was absolutely ridiculous. Jirou? Cute? Okay, so maybe not "ridiculous", but why was _he—_Atobe Keigo—thinking that _Jirou—_his friend, teammate, and another male—was cute?

"Eh? Atobe-kun?" Atobe snapped out of his staring to see Jirou peering up beneath blonde hair at him, eyes wide and Atobe quickly sat down next to him before the older boy could run away again and said, "Ore-sama was looking for you,"

"Me?" Jirou pointed at himself and Atobe gave a small laugh and nod. "Hai, ore-sama believes that's what ore-sama said; you."

"Why were you looking for me, Atobe?" Jirou asked in slight confusion, beginning to swing his legs back and forth, still petting the puppy in his lap. Atobe glanced down before reaching out and rubbing behind the animals ears. He always had a soft spot for dogs. In fact, he had saved his dog—Taji—from an abusive home, which was why his dog only liked him, besides Kabaji and Jirou anyways.

"Doesn't ore-sama always look for you, Jirou?" Atobe replied, lips twitched up slightly but not quite a smile.

Jirou blushed and nodded. "Hai, I guess you do. Anou… could you tell me why this time though?" the blonde asked, staring up at his buchou.

Under the strength of the brown-eyed boy's gaze, Atobe looked away and relaxed into the bench, crossing his legs. "Ore-sama was curious as to why you ran away earlier at practice, Jirou. Why were you so upset?" he glanced back over to see Jirou staring at him still.

"You're leaving," he answered simply.

"Yes, ore-sama knows but—"

"You're leaving _me,_" Jirou continued and there was a moment of silence after that in which Atobe frowned and looked curiously at him. "Ore-sama isn't leaving you, Jirou. Ore-sama will be back in a year."

"But you're still leaving me!" Jirou huffed, pouting as he stared up at him, beginning to tremble again. "I don't want Atobe-kun to leave,"

"Jirou, ore-sa—"

"No!" Jirou interrupted, raising his voice a bit louder. "I don't want Atobe to leave!" he shot forward, arms wrapping around Atobe's shoulders as he buried his head in the younger boy's neck, holding back tears. "If Atobe leaves, I don't know what I would do…"

Slowly, Atobe raised his arms and placed them around the older boy's back, holding him a bit closer. "Ore-sama isn't leaving for good, Jirou, but ore-sama promised ore-sama's father that ore-sama would go to this supposedly prestigious school in the states." He rolled his eyes. "Ore-sama doubts its better than Hyoutei; it's missing a few essential things."

"Eh? Like what?"

"The tennis club for one, and for another, it's missing you," he answered and Jirou pulled back slightly, blinking. "Missing me?"

"Hai, of course, unless they have an Akutagawa Jirou that happens to look, sound, and act exactly like you and has known ore-sama for two years, but he still wouldn't be the same Jirou that ore-sama knows and will miss." Atobe replied and Jirou couldn't help a small smile at the last part.

"You're going to miss me, Atobe-kun?" he let his arms rest loosely around Atobe's neck, fiddling slightly with his fingers as he smiled cutely.

"Why wouldn't ore-sama?" he answered, scooting a bit closer to the smaller teenager. "It's another of course,"

Jirou made a small noise and let his eyes wander across Atobe's face for a moment before asking, "Ne, Atobe-kun, may I kiss you?"

A pink blush spread across the heir's cheeks and he couldn't help a small stutter as he replied, "K-kiss?

Jirou nodded. "Hai, kiss," he leaned forward, softly pressing his lips to Atobe's cheeks before pulling back, beaming and Atobe let out a sharp breath. "Oh, you meant on ore-sama's cheek."

The blonde blinked and smiled in slight amusement. "Of course, what else would you think I meant?" Atobe stared and then sighed, answering, "Ore-sama believed that you meant kiss ore-sama like this…" he closed the distance between the two of them, brushing his lips against Jirou's, eyes still opened slightly as he stared into Jirou's shocked brown eyes before pulling back a little bit.

Slowly, a very dark blush covered Jirou's face and his stomach did a large flip, heart quickening slightly. "O-oh, Atobe-kun meant that kind of kiss…" he blinked slowly, eyes wide as he bit his lip. "Anou, I-I think I might be able to kiss you like that instead if you'd like…"

Atobe raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Ore-sama would like that," at once the both of them leaned forward, Jirou's tongue darting out to lick his lips and Jirou eyed them. He had barely grazed Jirou's lips but they had felt soft, this time he'd deepen this kiss, maybe letting his tongue enter Jirou's mouth. His eyes darted across the blonde's still red face, their breath mixing between their lips just before they closed the distance, eyes falling shut.

At first, they didn't move and a moment later Atobe pressed his lips harder against Jirou's, tongue snaking out to run along Jirou's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Jirou slowly parted his lips, a small moan escaping him when Atobe's tongue gently prodded at his, beginning a small, playful fight inside of their mouths.

After a few minutes, Jirou pulled back, resting his head against Atobe's shoulder and quietly asked, "You _will _come back, ne?"

Atobe nodded, "For you, Jirou," and kissed him again.

* * *

_As we go on  
We remember  
All the times we  
Had together  
And as our lives change  
From whatever  
We will still be  
Friends Forever_


End file.
